


Embers

by Drachenkinder



Series: Set the World on Fire [5]
Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: A TON OF ANGST, Alternate Universe, En Dwi Gast fight manager, Loki stage magician, M/M, future world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 22:06:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18979279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drachenkinder/pseuds/Drachenkinder
Summary: Its been twenty years of psychopaths in love. A coda to Set the World on Fire series.





	Embers

Modi looked over the week’s accounts and adjusted the algorithm to maximum efficiency. Loki ran his long fingers through his nephew’s dark hair and Modi turned and leaned his head into the caress. It was all Loki allowed. He hadn’t broken his word to En in twenty years, no matter the temptation and Modi was temptation incarnate. Tall and as muscular as his father but still having the leaner build of youth, Modi had been unsuccessfully pursing his uncle for the past five years. Now that he was of age he’d intensified his flirting. 

Thor’s firstborn had been a difficult child. It came to a head when he was five and attempted to drown his sister in the bathtub when their nanny had left the two children alone to fetch some towels. She’d survived, thanks to a quick response on the nanny’s part, but the incident had troubled Modi's parents and the boy’s violent temper tantrums could not be overlooked any longer. 

Thor and Loki had become closer over the years, Loki visiting every winter for the Yule festivals and Thor and Sif spending a few weeks visiting Loki during the summer. While Thor’s family and En had never come to enjoy each other’s company, they managed to remain politely civil for Loki's sake. When he was faced with a future of either heavily medicating or institutionalizing his son, Thor had called his brother to share his pain. Loki offered to take Modi for a couple of months while Thor considered options. They had always gotten along well and Loki recognized his own frustrations in the boy’s nature. 

Sif had been against it at first, but she finally gave in and Modi was packed off to Thailand for a couple of months. En and Loki were living there temporarily because of the economic upheavals in the U.S. Thor was amazed upon Modi’s return. The boy had always been intelligent and now he seemed to have finally gained some control over his temper. True, he checked in nightly with his Uncle in private conversations and he was a bit more remote then Thor liked, but it was a vast improvement. Thor had been so grateful for Loki’s help. Loki had recognized a like spirit in Modi. He was glad to mentor the boy and teach him how to control the expression of the things he felt. Like Loki, he took no pleasure in harming others, he simply didn’t see the necessity to refrain from harming them should they be in the way of what he wanted. From then on Modi spent several months a year with Loki and En, traveling and learning the ins and outs of the entertainment business. 

Loki had extended Sakaar Entertainment from casinos and boxing. He’d invested in the intimate world of immersive virtual reality and he realized early that sex was only one of the sensations that people craved. Sakaar entertainment had a lock down on the world of immersive fighting and had a reputation for the best of first person interactive experiences. 

As Modi grew, Loki was proud of his progress. He outstripped his peers in his school work and was a natural at both ends of the business, participating in a few amateur youth matches when he became a teen and seeing the future market trends with an eye that rivaled Loki’s. En found him adorable, an ambitious younger version of his Kitten and Loki had to rein in his extravagant presents lest he spoil the boy completely. Modi for his part tolerated En, even though as he grew older he began to see the elderly man as a rival first for Loki’s attention and then for his affections. Loki had to make it clear to the boy that En was his, and any little accident that might occur to En would be the surest way to end Modi’s continued presence in his life.

En for his part had been holding up well. Blessed with naturally lean body, his high level of continued exercise, had helped him to slow his aging. The best in gene therapy and cutting back on his drinking had also kept him healthy. Though he had just passed his eightieth birthday, thanks to a few nips and tucks he didn’t look older than an active mid-sixties. Loki sighed and kissed the top of Modi’s head. All good things had to come to an end and En’s had been a weakness in a small blood vessel in his brain. He was now resting upstairs, home from the hospital and Loki had just finished going over the final report of his prognosis. It was not good. En’s once garrulous speech had been slowed to a slurred struggling effort to put together a sentence. He was unable to sit up without assistance and even eating required help. The initial stroke had been followed by a series of smaller ones, and though the cause had been stemmed, there was little hope of more than a partial recovery. The doctors however had been hopeful that he was out of danger of death and though bed ridden, would with luck, live many more years.

Loki knew his lover, and he was sure that En would hate living like this, even if he still clutched at the scattered straws of his life. 

“Modi,” Loki said. “Be a dear and run down to San Francisco for me. I want your opinion of how Val is doing with incorporating the latest IVR mods. She will try to bypass the safety criteria to bring her projects to market earlier and we don’t need a repeat of the Venom Mark 3 incident.”

Modi turned his head and looked into his Uncle’s sad green eyes. Loki was just as beautiful as he’d always been to Modi, though his hair had silvered at the temple and a few wrinkles creased the corners of his eyes. But this past month, ever since they’d found En unconscious on the floor of the gym, had worn on him. There were circles under his eyes and hollows in his cheeks, that told of too long hours in hospital rooms and too much bad news.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright, alone here?” He stood trying to read his Uncle.

“I’m not alone dearest, En is here with me and the nurse is staying in the guest house, should I need his help.”

There was something in Loki’s eyes that worried his nephew. A blankness that Modi had come to know preceded his more reckless actions. That combined with the sorrow, made him afraid. He reached his hand out and cupped the back of Loki's head and drew him close until their foreheads touched.

“You know I love you, don’t you?”

Loki returned that familiar embrace, then kissed Modi’s forehead before pulling away. 

“Of course Modi. I’ve known it for years. Now be a good boy and pack your things. I want you on the next tram. Val has been too quiet this last week and that can only mean trouble.”

“If you’re sure..”

“Get your ass on that tram or go back to your father. You don’t question my orders, boy.” Loki’s voice had gone hard and cold and it spiked a fire in Modi’s groin even as he resented the reprimand.

“You don’t have to be such an asshole, Uncle.” Modi said. He turned and stalked from the room, his face tinged pink with lust and embarrassment.

Loki chucked. En would have loved to see that encounter. He always liked watching Loki wield authority, especially over his sassy nephew. Then he sobered. Those little pleasures were all he would have now. Were they enough? 

Loki waited until Modi had left. He spent the time going over the boy’s work, both checking for errors and to see if he was trying to modify the program to siphon off a few dollars into his personal account. The algorithm checked out. When he heard the whir of the public transport going overhead, Loki closed out the program with a wave of his hand. He went into the game room and took down the bottle of Glenfiddich, the real stuff, not the new version that was supposed to have the same effect without any detrimental health issues. En claimed he could taste the difference and Loki wasn’t about to argue with him now. He took out the pack of the black market cigarettes and a lighter and headed upstairs.

Loki stopped by the bathroom and picked up the supplies before going to their bedroom. En was resting in their bed. His face looked greyish and slack against the pale blue sheets, his hair thin strands over his age spotted skull. Loki’s heart ached. It didn’t matter that En was old, En was his and he loved him with a fierce possession. It was wrong for old age to strike him down like this. Loki sat the supplies down by the bed and brushed his fingertips over En’s papery cheek. 

“Hey old man.” Loki said. “Time to clean up.”

En’s eyes opened. They were as sharp as ever, though the once brilliant gold had faded to a soft pale brown and his left eyelid drooped.

“oo should et ta nuse do dis”

“You truly think I would let another man get his hands on your lovely ass?” Loki said with a smile. 

En’s returning smile was one sided.

Loki pulled the blankets down and pushed up the silk nightshirt. He paused to plant a kiss on each of En’s nipples before he slid the pad under his hips. He’d watched the nurse perform this, despite En’s protests, the first night he came home. He hadn’t liked having anyone but himself touch his lover. It was a violation of their relationship. Loki had resigned himself to it when En was in the hospital but now that he was here, Loki took upon himself all the services that En required. 

Changing the diaper and cleaning up En was an ugly job, there was nothing romantic about wiping piss off an old man’s groin and making sure his skin wasn’t breaking out in a rash. He’d carried En to the bathroom before his nap but it was inevitable that he’d have to clean him up after he woke up. Loki did the job with cool efficiency and then helped En sit up. He disposed of the diaper and cleaning wipes then came back and sat beside En on the bed. He took the glass from the nightstand and filled it with Glenfiddich. 

He held the glass to En’s lips while he took a sip. En’s right hand closed around his wrist and Loki brought the glass down. 

“Do you remember the first time you had me drink from your glass?” Loki asked. “You gave me a sip while I went down on you.”

“Uh huh. “ En said. 

Loki kissed him, slowly, gently licking the taste of the whiskey from En’s tongue. The kiss felt wrong with only half of En’s mouth engaged and Loki had to close his eyes to keep from showing the hurt. He nuzzled En’s ear. 

"I want to do that now, Love. Will you let me suck your cock? Please?”

En answered by placing his working hand in Loki’s hair and giving it weak tug. Loki kissed him again. He reached for the pack, pulled out and lit a cigarette and placed it between En’s lips. En raised an eyebrow as he took a hit.

“I bought them last week to celebrate you homecoming. Is it alright?” Loki said as he removed the ashtray from the drawer and put it on the nightstand. There was a tiny bottle in the drawer which he palmed and he tipped its contents into the whiskey, before replacing it, his body shielding his actions. 

En nodded his head and took out the cigarette. 

“Get to erk oy.” He said.

“Fuck you old man!” Loki said.

En's right eye crinkled in amusement.

Loki kissed En yet again then shimmied down the bed to rest his head in En’s lap. He nuzzled at his groin and felt the slow thickening of En’s cock through the silk of the night shirt. His scent had changed over the years, but Loki had not noticed it until the hospital. Now he smelled the slightly sour odor of old age combined with the cleaning wipes and a trace of piss and only the barest remnant of the musky maleness Loki loved.

He lifted the nightshirt and kissed the flushed head of En’s cock. He licked up the length then took the hardening shaft into his mouth. En made soft encouraging sounds and Loki looked up and meet his eyes as En took another shaky hit off the cigarette. The whiskey waited on the bedside table and as Loki watched, En put his cigarette in the tray, picked up the glass and extended it toward Loki. Loki closed his hand around En’s to steady it, pulled his mouth off En’s cock and took a sip.

“Mmm. It still tastes better with your cock.” Loki said. 

En’s stuttering laugh was his answer and Loki guided the glass back until En lifted it and took another deep swallow. Loki returned to his work. En’s shaft was thick in his mouth and the pressure on the inside of his cheeks and tongue and palate evoked a sweet memory of years of this shared pleasure. He felt the heat rush from his belly across his chest and down to his own cock giving him a surge of hunger he hadn’t expected. His pulse beat a little faster and Loki raised his kilt, turning a bit on his side so En could see, as he slid his cock free of his boxers. Loki stroked himself with one hand and worked En’s cock with the other. Bobbing his head in time to En’s twitching hips. En’s breathing was rapid and rough, his face was flushed and his cock was harder than Loki had felt it in years. His eyes were steady on Loki’s face though, and he dropped his one usable hand on Loki’s head in encouragement.

“I laa oo Kitten.” En panted.

“I love you too En,” Loki said in between long wet slurps. “I love you so much.” 

He watched En take the last long drink of the whiskey and drop the empty glass onto the bed. He nodded at Loki and Loki suffered a twinge of regret, wondering if En knew and was allowing this to happen or if he was simply urging Loki to continue.

Loki swirled his tongue over the glans and pressed it in the sweet spot below, before taking the thick shaft into his throat deep enough to choke. En’s hand dropped back on his scalp and the long fingers tightened in his hair. The pain was sharp and Loki could see En’s half smile as he pulled his hair again. The tears in Loki’s eyes could have been from the pain or from gagging. He whined in love and a hurt that cut deeper than any he’d ever known. His own shaft was throbbing as he stroked and tugged it the pressure building all too soon. His skin felt as hot as a sunburn, his heart was pounding and his blood made a loud shushing sound in his ears. En gasped sharply and Loki felt his cock jerk in his mouth and the salt bitter taste of his seed spilled over Loki’s tongue. It was too much, too much sorrow and need and lust and he sucked as if he was starving, swallowing every warm spurt. The taste and touch and ache combined and sent Loki over the edge and his hips thrust fast as he fucked his hand. Pleasure overwhelmed him, his cum splattered on his belly and his heart raced as if it wanted to rip out of his chest. His vision blackened and he fought to keep from passing out as orgasm surged through him. 

Loki took a few ragged breaths, and then, covered in sweat he crawled up to En’s side. 

Loki wrapped his lover in his arms and held his shaking body tightly. En’s eyes never left his as the older man shuddered. Loki kissed his face and wept. En’s grasp on his hair loosened and his hand dropped, black strands still tangled between his fingers. His eyes grew sightless, staring beyond Loki. En drew one harsh breath, his body spasmed, the air left in a wheeze. Half a minute ticked by, another racking breath, a shudder, a wheeze. Four more torturous breaths, the space between them lengthening before his body finely let go and stilled.

Loki rocked En in his arms until he could think again. There were a few things he must do before grief over whelmed him. He lifted En's right arm to place En’s hand on the nightstand drawer pull, and open the drawer. He carefully pressed the limp fingers around the little prescription bottle. The worst part was placing the lid between En’s teeth and holding his jaw closed to make an impression in the soft plastic, before replacing the bottle in the drawer and sliding it closed. 

After that was done Loki closed En’s eyes and held his slowly cooling body to his chest. He nuzzled the thin hair and let his tears soak the scalp. He cried until he had no tears left and then he stared out of the window and watched the sun set behind the mountains. The nurse came on at 10 that evening and found him still sitting beside En, the body cold and stiff in his arms. 

The man had seen death and the reactions of loved ones before and he gently disentangled Loki from En, led him downstairs and pulled up a screen to report the death. The nurse wrapped Loki in a blanket and then made him a cup of tea. He placed a call to Modi in San Francisco and Loki cried again, telling him of En's death. Modi assured him of his imminent return. Modi talked and Loki sat silent while his nephew gathered his possessions and waited for transport to the tram station. Loki only closed the screen when the officials arrived. Loki sat quietly as people came and went.

He answered questions, 

“Did he know En had used the ED drug tonight?” 

“No.” 

“Had he used such drugs in the past?” 

“Yes, he had a prescription.” 

“Wasn’t he aware that such a drug could cause another stroke?” 

Loki didn’t know. 

"How many doses where left in the bottle?"

He didn't know that either.

It went on like that for several hours. Then there were questions about funeral arrangements and next of kin. Loki pointed the officials to their marriage records and the burial plan. In between questions, Loki drank endless cups of too sweet tea and stared off into space. He only reacted when En’s body was brought down stairs and then only to beg to see him. The attendants were kindly and waited while Loki smoothed back the silver hair and kissed the stiff cheek. He was stunned to see that the corpse bore only a vague resemblance to the man he had loved. Looking more like a waxwork mannequin then the passionate, violent lover who had given Loki twenty years of pain and pleasure. 

The nurse stayed with Loki until Modi arrived back in the early hours of the morning, then he left. Modi held Loki and expressed his sorrow at his loss. Loki took the offered comfort and leaned into his nephew’s warm powerful arms and found he still had a few tears left. Modi stroked his back until he calmed again. Loki yawned, exhausted from emotions and questions and the sleepless night. 

“Uncle, I can make you up a bed on the couch if you’d rather sleep down here.” Modi said.

“I would rather share yours, Modi. I do not want to be alone. Though I will not be good for anything other than sleeping for now.”

Modi looked at Loki with wide blue eyes. 

“Does that mean you will be good for other things in time?”

Loki tipped his nephew's chin down and kissed his full soft lips. He felt the eager response and sucked gently on Modi’s tongue when it sought the warmth behind his teeth. They broke apart and Loki ran his fingers through Modi's hair, marveling at the way the rising sun turned the brown strands to chestnut and burnished gold.

“Yes. In time, dear boy. In time.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story just popped into my head the other day and I had to write it down.


End file.
